SO many Lithuanians have now come to Britain that businesses in their home country are forced to rely on refugee labour.

As many as 200,000 Lithuanians have arrived in Britain from the tiny eastern European nation under relaxed European border laws.

Many more have headed for other rich European nations such as Germany and France – and the entire population of Lithuania has shrunk by around ONE THIRD since 1995 to under 3m.

The loss of the former Soviet bloc nation’s brightest and best – and the backbone of its workforce – has left Lithuania facing crippling economic problems and the absolute necessity of recruiting refugee labour to fill in the gaps.

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Angela Merkel and other EU heads have come under attack for allowing her open door migrant policies to help boost the workforce of countries like Germany while leaving ghost towns across many of the smaller Euro nations.

The English market town of Wisbech, Cambridgshire is now dubbed “Little Lithuania”.

An estimated 5,000 Lithuanians are living among Wisbech’s populationof 28,000 — which means they account for one in six residents.

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Vilnius business owners are going now heading to refugee centres for staff

The crisis is so acute that a political party called the Lithuanian Peasant and Greens Union which champions the single issue of STOPPING emigration to Europe is gaining massive support.

Emigration is a crucial issue in this election and many people have felt its consequences

Saulius Skvernelis, LVZS chief candidate

A second round of parliamentary elections today is expected to see major LVZS gains.

Saulius Skvernelis, LVZS chief candidate, said: “Emigration is a crucial issue in this election and many people have felt its consequences.

“We need to act now to solve this problem and help bring people back.”

Graduate Vilius Leveris, a barber in Lithuanian capital Vilnius, said when he needs new staff he heads for the refugee centre because the job centre is empty.

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He added: “Half of my fellow university graduates have left the country – it’s very sad and a bit demoralising at times.

“During the summer holidays you can see emigres that have done well in Britain drive their flashy cars with British number plates.”

And in an interview in the Sunday Times Alexi Petrov and ex-pat aviation mechanic said: “It’s not rocket science, in Britain you can earn four or five times what you earn in Lithuania so of course people leave.”